Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider X

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

Although generally Bandai Tamashii Nations have gotten a lot better at releasing the figures they debut at Tamashii Nations events, they've been slowly teasing out the releases of the original seven Showa era Kamen Riders for some time. The original releases of Rider 1, Rider 2 and Amazon feel like a lifetime ago now, with things only moving forward in the last few years with the release of both V3 and Riderman. That said – Bandai's timing couldn't be better, because in the same year Kamen Rider X celebrates its 50th anniversary they have marked the occasion with the long-awaited release of S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider X. Though like V3 and Riderman he's rather undeservedly a Tamashii Web exclusive, X's release brings us one step closer to that Legendary Seven. Six down, one to go…

Kamen Rider X comes boxed in the standard S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou packaging, which for the Kamen Rider range takes the form of a black-sided top half/lid and a white bottom half. As has been the case with the rest of the releases this year, the boxes have also taken on a more distinct matte feel. The top half features a nice big headshot of Kamen Rider X on the top, with his name in silver foil lettering along the two longer sides. On the underside of the box are a number of images showing the figure off in various poses, including one against a very Showa-esque sky backdrop. Inside the figure and numerous accessories are spread across two plastic trays – one for the figure itself and then a shallower one underneath for the accessories.

Built from the skeleton up in the signature "true bone carving" Shinkocchou Seihou style, this version of Kamen Rider X is naturally a significant step up from the standard S.H. Figuarts release from 2013. The body sports far more natural proportions to mimic that of the suit actor, while the sculpt itself is covered in various folds and creases for a more realistic look. Elements such as the chest armour have also been given slight shading for even more depth. The helmet looks especially good, with both those vibrant red compound eyes as well as the V-shaped crest between them. Unlike the previous Showa Riders this figure does not include replacement helmet parts (probably because it's more of a crest than antennae here), so an element of caution should be taken when handling it. Further down the Ridol belt has a similarly fantastic level of detail, with the turbine present behind a clear plastic bubble and a removable grip part. Finally to top it all off the scarf is wired fabric, giving it a more natural look and poseability. While fabric scarves were also present on V3 and Riderman, X's definitely stands out due to its more unique printing. Overall just a great design that shows just how timeless the Showa Riders are, and a fantastic recreation in the Shinkocchou Seihou line.

Articulation is to the usual high Shinkocchou Seihou standard, along with some clever engineering to accommodate for some of the more restrictive parts of Kamen Rider X's suit design. Altogether the figure features; 

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Bicep, thigh and glove swivels 

You only have to take one look at X's suit to notice that bulky torso armour, which you'd think would almost certainly get in the way of both the arm and torso movement. Thankfully this doesn't prove to be the case all that much – while the top half of the armour doesn't hang over the arms enough to really affect shoulder movement, the bottom half (namely the X-shaped part) is jointed so that it both slightly rotate and lift further up the torso. Playing around with the torso articulation is a little daunting at first, but not because of the armour – rather the waist joint is incredibly stiff. Once that’s been loosened up though, everything moves just as you'd expect it would. The hips have perhaps a little less movement than you'd expect, but it isn't so much that the figure can't pull off all of X's iconic poses. Then of course to top it all off you have the wonderful poseability of the soft goods scarf, allowing for an accurate windswept look in whatever pose you choose.

Unlike the main S.H. Figuarts range, Shinkocchou Seihou rarely disappoints when it comes to accessories which means there's yet another fine selection on offer with Kamen Rider X. Altogether he comes with 12 additional hands, the Ridol Whip, Ridol Stick, Ridol Rope, Ridol Longpole, four removeable standard grip parts for the weapons and then finally an additional fifth grip part with moulded buttons (intended for use with the Ridol Whip). The set comfortably covers all four versions of the Ridol, ensuring that all of Kamen Rider X's signature poses/attacks can be recreated. The weapon itself may be simple, but the presentation certainly makes up for it in other ways – like the length on that Ridol Longpole for example! The Ridol Rope has been fashioned with soft goods rather than a wired piece, which looks great in terms of screen accuracy but does unfortunately mean additional support is required for airborne poses (such as the rather misleading one on the box). The use of removable grips on both ends of the weapons also makes posing and switching them in/out as simple as possible. The hand selection on offer here is great too – covering all of X's signature poses as well as a variety of gripping hands so that the figure can hold the weapons at different angles. Like I say the parts themselves may be simple, but they look and feel immaculate – adding further to what is already a very satisfying figure.

New versions of the Showa Riders are usually a highlight of my figure purchases each year, so it pleases me to say that S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider X is no exception. Though I may not have the original release to compare it with, the eleven years between them really mean that the sculpt and engineering improvements speak for themselves. Kamen Rider X is another stellar Shinkocchou Seihou release, perfectly capturing all the detail in that striking suit design together with superb articulation and a comprehensive array of accessories. And even though they've been present on the last couple of releases, those poseable cloth scarves just never get old. Bandai are so close to releasing all of the original seven Riders in the line now, so fingers crossed that Kamen Rider Stronger will indeed be making an appearance in 2025.